member, that inconsiderate zeal occasions the holy name of God to be blasphemed; for the wicked pretend to believe that this is authorized by religion, and to that they charge the imprudence of ministers; they pursuade themselves, that the morality of Jesus Christ is extravagant and excessive; and that a system, whose teachers are so imprudent and foolish in their view, can have no adherents but such as resemble them.

5. But, my brethren, jealousy and rashness in zeal are commonly the consequences and the baneful fruits of pride. Therefore the Apostle, in order entirely to banish these two evils from zeal, adds, in the fifth place, that our zeal must be free from pride. "Charity-is not puffed up."

A truly zealous minister "is not puffed up" in consequence either of his own splendid talents and success, or of the indifferent talents and success of others; either of the vain praises of men, or of their censures; either of the favor of the great, or of their persecution and contempt. The poisonous influence of pride finds all the avenues of his heart shut against it by charity, and it cannot infect this gift of God. The zeal of charity attributes nothing to itself; its first effect is to annihilate in those who possess it, all regard to themselves-to establish a holy love in the soul, upon the ruins of self-love-to make this love reign there as a sovereign-to efface the man and put God in his place; so that then, united to God, they see God only, they act but for God, they have no joy, no grief, no pleasure, but in relation to God alone.

I say, the man of true zeal is not puffed up with his talents. He received them from God; how then should he be elevated with gifts which are not his, which originate not from him, and which are not given him but for the benefit of others?-with gifts which add nothing to his own virtue, and which will

only expose him to be called to a more strict account, for the use he makes of them? Neither is he puffed up with his successes; for it is God alone who produces fruit from his labors, in the hearts of sinners.

How uncommon is it, however, to find those who are not dazzled with the splendor of success? "Rejoice not," said Christ to his diciples, "that the spirits are subject to you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven."* Alas! it is but too true, that we are apt to applaud ourselves, for the success attending our ministry, which indeed is not ours to boast of; while we remain unaffected with that unfaithfulness which is justly chargeable to us, and which, though we may be instrumental in causing the names of others to be written in the book of life, will perhaps prevent our own from being inscribed there. What success can ever equal that of the Apostle Paul? How many towns, how many provinces, how many whole nations were called to the knowledge of a Saviour by his ministry? How many flourishing churches were established by his diligent labors? And yet he feared, that while he was laboring to instruct others, and to bring them under subjection to Jesus Christ, he himself should be cast away. His great success alarmed him, instead of encouraging him; he did not, in consequence of it, give honor to himself; for he has told us, that he who plants and he who waters are nothing; and he feared that the gifts of God would make him forget the weakness and the impotence of man.

A truly zealous minister is not then puffed up, either with his talents, or with the most splendid success; neither is he puffed up in consequence of the indifferent talents and success of his brethren. He believes that God may refuse them these external gifts, only for the purpose of enriching them, more abundantly, with those internal gifts which alone † 1 Corinth. ix. 27..

* Luke x. 20,

are truly valuable. Instead therefore of elevating himself above them, by secret comparisons, prompted by pride, he respects them for their great holiness and righteousness; whilst he considers himself only as a canal, which is often empty, after having enriched the earth and the fields with its waters. No, my brethren, great talents do not always suppose the greatest virtues in their possessors; they render them more useful to men, but they do not always render them more acceptable to God; they advance his work in others, but often retard it in themselves. God, in his wisdom, sometimes employs instruments in carrying on his work, which he rejects, after having made use of them, and which he had destined only for this service. It is not what the Lord operates by us that should encourage us; it is only what he operates in us. Though we should speak the language of Angels, we may in the view of God, be but as sounding brass. And it may even be said, that the righteous dispenser of gifts and graces has so managed the distribution of them, that those whom he appears to favor the most with splendid external talents, are not commonly those on whom he bestows, most abundantly, the internal and secret riches of grace; and on the contrary, he seems to compensate those, to whom he refuses those splendid gifts, by an abun dance of holiness, known to himself alone, and far more worthy of being admired than that vain popularity which draws upon some the applauses of men ; but which, for that very reason, often leaves them more destitute of real grace, and more full of themselves, in the view of God.

Neither, finally, is a minister who is actuated by true zeal puffed up, in consequence of the praises or the contempt, the favor or the contradiction of men. Asin his labors, he has no object in view but the salvation of his fellow men, he feels neither joy, chagrin, fear, nor hope, but in relation to that object; whatevwer does not evidence to him this only desireable fruit

of his labors interests him not; the praises of men, , as they are no proof of their return to God, are to him › but like the noise of children. He knows that these applauses have their origin only in the pride, the 'prejudices, or the inconstancy of men; that to-mor"row the same persons will tread under foot the idol which they worship to-day; that they bestow praise rather to secure honor to themselves, than to do honor to religion; that the inconsistency of their appro.bation, and the little solidity there is in it, take from it whatever could gratify even pride; that they often "envy and despise in secret those whom they seem to admire in public; and that their hearts rarely ratify the praises of their mouths.

The zeal of charity will not then be puffed up by praises; neither, on the other hand, will it be elevated by contempt and persecutions. It is indeed true, that these are promised to piety, and proposed as the glory and recompense of the ministry; and therefore when any one receives these from men, he may perhaps think that he has a right to believe himself marked with the seal of the apostleship.Thus some applaud themselves for the contradictions they meet with, as if this were an honor inseparable from the preaching of the gospel; they believe themselve partakers of the zeal of primitive, apostolical men, because they suffer similar tribulations; and they persuade themselves that they have certainly fulfilled their ministry, to the divine acceptance, if, in discharging its duties, they have experienced contempt and bad treatment from the world.

But let me ask such persons, how do you know, that you do not owe to your own imprudence, rather than to the malice of men, the contradictions which you experience from them? Have not humor, rashness, and indiscretion taken from your zeal every thing truly respectable, and caused that contempt and persecution to fall on yourselves alone, which, with self-satisfaction, you attribute to your ministry?

Is it not an indiscreet or indecent manner of preaching the truth which has rendered it odious or ridic ulous in your mouths? To glory in such contradictions is often to glory in the abuse which you have made of your ministry. Therefore, my brethren, neither the praises nor contempt of men ought to Hatter our pride: their praises, because they are not due to us; their contempt, because we often merit it. Let us add nothing of our own to our zeal; let us not mingle with it the faults of man; and then though the truths which we preach may cause the passions of the wicked to rise against them, yet they will secure respect even from those who are governed by their passions. Their corrupt hearts may reject them, may in appearance despise them; but their reason and their conscience will render secret homage to them: they may pretend to glory in condemning us, in treating us as extravagant declaimers; but inwardly they will justify us and condemn themselves. Such is the zeal of charity;" it is not puffed up" nothing makes him who possesses it proud, because whatever there is of his own in his labors, which alone could inspire pride, is precisely what humbles him.

6. Another characteristic of zeal animated by charity is, that it does not seek its own interest. "Charity-secketh not her own."

A zealous, faithful minister proposes to himself to labor only for his great Master, according to his command, and under his direction. He knows that the Spirit, like the wind, "bloweth where it listeth ;" that there are diversities of gifts; and that those who are the most applauded are not always the most useful. He remembers, that as he is consecrated to the work of the ministry, his gifts and his talents are no longer his own; and that they ought to be wholly devoted to the service of his fellow men. Therefore, provided he consecrates to their salvation his cares,